MAT Eligibility Criteria 2026: Age Limit, Qualifying Criteria, Number of Attempts
Management Aptitude Test 2026 ( MAT )
MAT May 2026 Registration PBT
1 Apr '26 - 25 May '26
MAT eligibility criteria is graduation. However, before filling up the MAT application form, you must know the academic requirement as per your course. Know here the details of MAT eligibility criteria 2026 as prescribed by the AIMA.
MAT exam eligibility criteria is a set of academic requirements that MBA aspirants need to fulfil to be eligible to take the entrance test. The basic eligibility criteria for MAT is graduation. There is no minimum requirement of 50% in Bachelors degree. Candidates with passing marks can apply for MAT. However, since AICTE guidelines for MBA eligibility is minimum 50% in graduation (45% for Reserved categories), it is necessary to score as much marks to be able to pursue full-time MBA degree courrse.
The MAT exam is conducted four times a year – February, May, September and December. MAT score is accepted by over 800 B-schools across the country for admission to MBA/PGDM courses. Those who plan to take the MAT 2026 exam, must check the eligibility criteria before applying. Candidates can take MAT exam in Computer-Based Test (CBT) or Paper-Based Test (PBT) or both. Eligibility criteria for both exam modes are same. There is no limit on the number of attempts for taking the exam. The scores of latest MAT attempt will be taken into consideration for MBA admission. MAT February 2026 registration process is ongoing and the exam will be held on March 1 (PBT), March 8 (CBT).
Also Read: MAT 2026 application form and registration process
MAT Eligibility Criteria 2025
All India Management Association (AIMA) the MAT conducting agency, prescribes the eligibility criteria. Check details below:
MAT Exam Eligibility: Academic Qualification
- Candidates must have completed bachelor's degree in any discipline from a recognised Institute or University.
- Candidates appearing in the final year examination or awaiting result for Bachelor's degree are also eligible to appear for MAT 2025.
MAT Eligibility Criteria: Age Limit
There is no age limit to appear for MAT exam. However, since the academic qualification is graduation, the age of candidates is usually 20 and above.
MAT Criteria: Work Experience
Work experience is not a mandatory eligibility criteria for MAT. However, it carries extra weightage in selection process of MBA colleges accepting MAT score.
Also Read:
MAT Eligibility Criteria for Participating Institutes
As per the general MAT eligibility criteria fixed by the participating institutes, candidates should have a bachelor's degree and a valid MAT score. Some of the B-schools specify eligible marks for the qualifying degree examination of 50 per cent aggregate for General category and 45 per cent aggregate for Reserved category.
Also Read: MBA colleges accepting MAT scores
Commonly asked questions
No, IIMs do not accept MAT score for MBA Admission. They only accept CAT score for admission to their MBA/PGP programmes. However, MAT score is accepted by over 700 MBA colleges in India including: Amity University GL Bajaj Institute of Management & Research Christ University GITAM Institute of Management JIMS Rohini Jain University Taxila Business School, Jaipur SRM University Birla Institute of Management Technology Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University Tezpur University Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India IIFM Bhopal YMCA.
MAT score is valid for admission for the same academic year in which the candidate has taken the exam. For example, MAT 2025 score will be valid for admission for 2025-2026 MBA batch only. If a candidate wishes to drop a year after taking the MAT exam, then they will have to appear for the exam once again next year. They should however check the eligibility or selection criteria to have a clarity of MAT score of which session/phase is valid for admission in which academic year. For example, for 2025 academic session MAT September and MAT December scores will be valid for admission to some MBA colleges who have the admission cycle of January-February. Whereas, colleges who conduct admission in March-May accept MAT February exam scores for admission. To simplify, MAT test takers must not try to use their score for admission more than one year after appearing for it. They should appear for it again and use the latest score for admission.
For MAT CBT, candidates will be allotted a test centre in the city they shall have selected as preference in the, MAT application form. Candidates can appear for MAT from home in only IBT mode. MAT CBT is held in the followimg cities: Agra, Ahmedabad, Asansol, Bareilly, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore, Dehradun, Delhi, Ernakulam - Kochi, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, Guwahati, Hubballi (Hubli), Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Jammu, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Madurai, Meerut, Mumbai, Mysuru (Mysore), Nashik, Noida, Patna, Pune, Raipur, Ranchi, Rourkela, Shillong, Shimla, Silchar, Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, Vellore and Vijayawada
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MAT Exam Eligibility: Reservation Criteria
MAT or AIMA does not prescribe Reservation criteria for the entrance exam. The Reservation Policy is followed for MBA admission through MAT as specified by the participating colleges as per the Reservation Policy of the Government of India. Certain percentages of seats are reserved under quota.
MAT Reservation Criteria for SC/ST/OBC/EWS candidates
Candidates belonging to the Reserved categories are eligible for admission in to MBA programme as per the quota percentage given below. Such candidates will have to submit at the time of admission, respective caste/tribe certificate issued by the Government of India to get a seat through Reservation Policy.
| Category |
Seat Quota Percentage |
|---|---|
| Scheduled Caste (SC) |
15% |
| Scheduled Tribe (ST) |
7.5% |
| Other Backward Classes, Non-Creamy layer (NC-OBC) |
27% |
| Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) |
10% |
MAT Reservation Criteria for PwD candidates
As per the RPwD Act 2016, 5 per cent seats are reserved for PwD candidates in educational institutions.
The categories of disability are:
- Blindness and low vision
- Deaf and hard of hearing
- Locomotor disability including cerebral palsy, leprosy, cured dwarfism, acid attack victims and muscular dystrophy.
- Autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disability and mental illness
- Multiple disabilities from amongst persons under one to four
- Other ‘specified disabilities’ mentioned in ‘The Schedule’ of the RPwD Act 2016
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered Yesterday
Business schools with campus in Bangalore GIBS Bangalore accepts a wide range of entrance exams for its AICTE-approved PGDM programme (MBA equivalent), prioritizing accessibility for diverse candidates over elite CAT toppers alone. This flexible policy suits your MAT 522 score, enabling shortlisting
G
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
GIBS Business School situated in Bangalore acknowledges CAT, MAT, and XAT as authorized admission tests for both undergraduate and postgraduate programs.
Approved Admission Exams
- CAT (Common Admission Test)
- MAT (Management Aptitude Test)
- XAT (Xavier Aptitude Test)
Additionally to these Three Tests, GI
M
Beginner-Level 4
Answered 5 days ago
Jaipuria Institute of Management, Noida does provide scholarships to students based on their MAT scores. Aspirants with CAT, CMAT or XAT scores can also get the financial students. The institute offers scholarships to deserving students.
N
Guide-Level 15
Answered 5 days ago
No, you cannot join Jindal Global Business School without an entrance exam if you want admission to the MBA course. For admission to the management courses, the institute accepts various national-level exams, like
- CAT
- MAT
- ATMA
- GMAT
- NMAT
- XAT
- CMAT
Students who attain qualifying percentiles for these exams are
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
No, you cannot join UPES Dehradun for its MBA programme without appearing for the accepted entrance examination. To gain admission to this institute, students would need to take one of the following exams after they clear the basic eligibility rules.
- NMAT, XAT and MAT
Students who attempt the previou
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
MAT is overall an easy exam, but if you compare the sections, usually the Quantitative Aptitude is considered tougher than rest of the four sections, due to calculation intensive questions.
J
Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
All the MAT sections have same weightage, i.e. 30 questions and 30 marks. So candidates must keep in mind to prepare each section properly and poor performance in one section can affect overall score.
N
Contributor-Level 7
Answered a week ago
To get into Anna University for the MBA/PGDM course, students would need to appear in the accepted exam, like CAT, MAT, and TANCET.
Students who appear in the CAT or MAT exam would need to attain a valid percentile, and only then are they eligible for the next round of admission, which involves GD,
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Contributor-Level 10
Vipra Shrivastava is MA in English Literature from Delhi University with extensive experience in content writing of over 14 years. She has been handling content for Management, Accounting and Commerce streams for 8
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